


I will be your candle in the dark

by tingles



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-14
Updated: 2016-07-14
Packaged: 2018-07-23 23:19:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,461
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7483923
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tingles/pseuds/tingles
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Established Supercat. Cat gets shot, Kara takes care of her. Cat can’t help being an insensitive big mouth sometimes.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I will be your candle in the dark

During Cat’s stay at the hospital, at least the part of it she had been actually conscious for, Kara was anything but doting and gentle. She was always there to caress Cat’s hand and calm her down when she got tired of the tests, and of the doctors and nurses coming and going. She never complained when Cat ranted about how making her stay there was preposterous, knowing how hospitals never failed to make her anxious. Cat would be forever grateful for her making those days as bearable as they could possibly be.

Kara’s patience, however, ran out the night she went back home. The evening seemed to be going quite well. Cat was considerably more relaxed, and the fact that Carter and Kara had put especial effort into welcoming her back home filled her with a warm, content feeling only her son and girlfriend managed to elicit.  They had planned a quiet night in with her favorite food with sushi from the best restaurant in National City that only did take out for one Queen of All Media. They also promised they would let her pick a movie to watch after dinner without making a single complaint about it being too boring, something that rarely happened since her son and her girlfriend seemed to share the same childlike taste for silly ridiculous movies. From the moment she got out of her hospital bed they pampered her, and Cat would have complained about all the fussing if she wasn’t secretly enjoying it for once.

All that good mood, however, was abruptly ended with one of Cat’s sarcastic jokes. The people around her had grown accustomed to her sometimes seemingly careless remarks, knowing she didn’t really mean them. This one, however, seemed to stuck with Kara. Cat knew she shouldn’t have made a joke about what had happened to her as soon as she saw the look on Kara’s face and how she dropped the chopsticks she was holding, curling her fist tightly instead.

“Don’t you dare do that, Cat.” She’d seen Kara angry before, even if since that time in her office it had never been directed at her. This, though, felt way worse than that. There was no screaming outburst, but just the tone of her voice made it way more intimidating. “You don’t get to joke about it.”

“It’s not a big deal, Kara. You’re all acting like I died or something when it was just a scratch. I’ve had board meetings more unpleasant than this bullet wound.”

Cat knew she shouldn’t have said anything. She _knew_ , but sometimes, she was physically unable to keep her mouth shut.  

“Carter, could you go to your room for a second? I need to talk to your mom.” Kara’s voice softened a little as she addressed him, and if the situation were different Cat would have had the chance to appreciate just how much she obviously cared about him that even being this furious she didn’t want him to witness any argument between the two of them. Carter had avoided to look at either of them since the tension started, and he curtly nodded at Kara’s words and left the room without saying anything else.

“You could have died, Cat. I thought you had, everything was so messed up and there was a lot of blood and no one could tell me if you were going to make it.” Kara’s voice wavered. She was holding back, she didn’t want Carter to hear anything.

“Look, Kara-” Cat’s attempt at excusing herself was quickly cut short by her girlfriend, and after seeing the intense look in her eyes Cat swallowed.

“Don’t. Do you know what it was like? Thinking I lost you. Telling Carter who, by the way, was terrified that you had been shot. And all because you decided to be stupid and put yourself in front of an armed criminal.” The guilt Cat had been avoiding to feel all these days seemed like it could almost drown her in that moment. She bit her tongue to stop herself from refuting the accusations, she knew that Kara was right, and the only thing she could do was let her vent. It wasn’t the time to be her usual stubborn self.

“Didn’t you think about Carter? Didn’t you think about me?” Her voice almost broke at the end. “You have a family. We can’t lose you.” Cat could have easily thrown that back at her. Said it was hypocritical for Kara to say all that when she was out every day risking her life saving the city, but she didn’t. Deep down, she knew it was not the same and that Kara’s anger was justified.

“I’m sorry.” Cat said, looking into her eyes, when Kara seemed to be done with her impromptu speech. Her anger had visibly deflated, and she just looked sad and tired. It broke Cat’s heart. She had been so strong for her while she was recovering, it was her time then to be strong for her. She stood up to go next to Kara who was sitting on the other side of the table, and lowered herself so she was at eye level with her.

“You’re right. It was stupid. And I won’t do anything like that ever again, not to Carter, and not to you.” She took her hand, gripping it tightly. Kara looked on the verge of tears, and it wasn’t until that moment that Cat realized she hadn’t seen her cry since the incident happened. “You’re not losing me, ok?” With watery eyes, Kara nodded and leaned into her, hiding her face against Cat’s shoulder for a moment.

It made her feel even worse that she’d put Kara through that after all the loss she already had endured. “Do you forgive me?” Cat asked, tenderly cupping Kara’s cheek, and gave her a little smile when she answered affirmatively.

“I’m sorry I got so mad.”

“It’s ok. You had a right to be.”

Kara wiped away the trace of the few tears she hadn’t been able to contain before, and got up as well. “I’ll go get Carter, tell him it’s all ok. You go back to your chair and rest, as the doctor ordered.” Cat nodded, faking an over dramatic sigh. But before Kara left, she didn’t pass up the chance to pull her closer and steal a kiss.

“Thank you for taking care of him these past few days.” Cat muttered, leaving her arms around Kara’s waist to keep her close. Kara had always been great with Carter, even before their relationship started, and after more than ever Cat knew she would trust her with his life. “Did you really mean it? Do you really feel like we are… a family?” Thinking about the three of them as such certainly made Cat feel happier than she thought she could ever be.

It had been a few months since Kara moved in with them, and even if the adjustment period had gone better than expected Cat knew how big of a deal family was to Kara, especially after losing everything in Krypton. It was an honor to be considered that by her.

“Of course I do. I love him as if he was my own.” There was no trace of doubt in Kara’s eyes when she said it, and it only made Cat’s smile grow.  She couldn’t find the words to explain how ecstatic that made her, so she hoped another kiss would say all she wasn’t able to.

Carter’s voice was what made them stop looking at each other like lovesick teenagers “Mom? Kara? Is everything okay now?” They stepped away from each other to face him, still with smiles on their faces.

“Yes, sweetheart. I’m sorry if we worried you, we just needed to talk.” Cat reassured him. Carter shrugged his shoulders, showing it wasn’t a big deal, as they all sat back down. “I’m just glad we can keep eating, I’m really hungry.” He joked, making Kara and Cat share a secret relieved smile after seeing he hadn’t been really affected by their argument.

“I don’t know how, but I think somehow Kara has managed pass on her monstrous appetite to you.”

“Hey! Stop blaming me for everything. He’s just a growing boy, his appetite is perfectly normal.”

“Whatever you say, darling.” Cat dismissed her, knowing it always made Kara put on an adorable grumbled expression, and Carter sniggered, making Kara turn against him for mocking her.

As Kara and Carter started to banter playfully, Cat was unusually quiet and merely relaxed and observed them with a fond smile. She knew in that moment she would keep her promise to Kara no matter what. They had something far too precious to ruin being careless.


End file.
